Although it’s only been a month since the fatal shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School near Parkland, Florida, school shootings and related threats are still rampant in the United States. Amidst the ongoing protests against gun violence, CNN reports that another shooting afflicted a high school in Maryland on Tuesday.
Mere days after the #NationalWalkOut protests, a 17-year-old gunman shot at two of his fellow students at Great Mills High School. Early Tuesday morning at approximately 7:55 am, Austin Wyatt Rollins reportedly fired his semi-automatic handgun at a young woman in one of the school’s hallways, according to NBC 4 Washington.
Video shows police officers responding to shooting at Great Mills High School in Maryland. “The event is contained,” according to the school district. https://t.co/p6ZPCw44RZ pic.twitter.com/m9TMfrSjyi
— ABC News (@ABC) March 20, 2018
After Rollins severely injured one of his peers, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Deputy Blaine Gaskill, who is also the high school’s resource officer, intervened before Rollins could harm any other students or faculty. The Washington Post reports that Rollins died shortly after he was shot by Gaskill. As stated in a press conference, Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron claims that Rollins was officially declared deceased at 10:41 am.
NBC 4 Washington reports that the woman, who is only 16 years old, is currently in critical condition at UM Prince George’s Hospital Center after she has sustained potentially fatal injuries. As the anonymous woman fights for her life in the ICU, another student suffered minor injuries during the altercation between Gaskill and Rollins. However, The Post notes that it’s unclear if the student was wounded by Rollins or Gaskill.
Natalie Perez, a senior at Great Mills, told The Daily Beast, “We always thought that it would never happen at our school, in our small town. We were protesting for the lives of other students who were affected by gun violence, never realizing that we were also protesting for our own lives.” Because this shooting happened shortly after the National School Walkout protests, it’s understandably eerie that a shooting would impact Great Mills—especially after some of these students took part in this very protest.
In the wake of this distressing crime, survivors of the Stoneman Douglas shooting are supporting the Great Mills survivors. One of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas survivors, activist Emma Gonzalez tweeted “We are Here for you, students of Great Mills together we can stop this from ever happening again.”
We are Here for you, students of Great Mills together we can stop this from ever happening again https://t.co/bkzL1FcVgu
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) March 20, 2018
Nevertheless, Gonzalez isn’t the only person consoling the Great Mills survivors. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan released a lengthy statement to ABC 13 News: “The school shooting that took place this morning at Great Mills High School remains an active investigation, and Maryland State Police are on the scene assisting local and federal law enforcement. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and all of the first responders who swiftly and bravely took action to secure the school. The First Lady and I are praying for those who were injured, their families and loved ones, and for the entire Great Mills community as they come together to heal in the wake of this horrific situation. But prayers are not enough. Although our pain remains fresh and the facts remain uncertain, today’s horrible events should not be an excuse to pause our conversation about school safety. Instead, it must serve as a call to action.”
The Great Mills shooting takes place only four days before the March For Our Lives protest in Washington DC.